The oft-ignored trajectory of Ohio Hip-Hop immediately doubled its worth earlier this year when a pre-Maybach Music Stalley released his breakthrough effort, Lincoln Way Nights (Intelligent Trunk Music). But despite the billing that propelled the bearded MC into the who’s who of upcoming talent, it was a joint project thanks to the thrilling sounds provided by fellow Ohioan, producer Rashad Thomas. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick, name a celebrated group of Hip-Hop’s past where a member went on to match or top their former troupe’s success on a consistent basis. The correct answers are few and far in between and the former Slum Village pillar by the name of Elzhi is well aware that taking complete control of his solo career is a necessity for building his brand in today’s industry. Read the rest of this entry »

When thumbing through a list of rappers known to juggle the varying degrees of human emotion in their music, few would conclude that Torae was a prominent speaker on the matters. The Big Apple bomber earned his stripes in most fan’s eyes with his tough-as-steel collaboration album with Marco Polo: Double Barrel, a project that chafed the eardrum just from experience. But Torae maintains he’s a multifaceted fellow and this past Valentine’s Day, he released a more lighter affair with DJ Blazita in Heart Failure.

TSS Crew’s TC caught up with Coney Island’s lyricist on the helm of his heartbreaker to factor out the inspiration behind the tape and his career overlay as a whole.

Graphics by Anthoniaa

TSS: So…no one would go out of their way to send blatant shots at Valentine’s Day if there wasn’t some sort of backstory there. So…what did she do?

Torae: [Laughs!!!] Nah…it’s nothing like that! Definitely not aimed at one person. It was a number of things. First and foremost, I always get the questions from my female fans and followers like “we love you” and this that “but when are you going to talk more on our speed?” And I didn’t want to be conceived as a one-trick pony basically. And I kind of saw myself getting put in a box since I did the Double Barrel album, which was real hard. And being associated with Duck Down which is a traditionally underground and raw label for rap. So I wanted to show people that I’m an all-around artist and not what they probably think I am.

Everybody goes through different emotions. Sometimes you want to be in love, sometimes you want fight, play ball, listen to music—you know what I mean? People go through different feelings and I feel like it should be reflected in the music.

TSS: Absolutely. So Heart Failure is more of a personal expression then?

Torae: Yeah, I think it’s a testament to my storytelling abilities which I don’t know if people were able to get from my previous material. So you know, it’s just me kind of conceptually telling a story between me and a female, dating, getting intimate, having different disagreements, breaking up to make up. It tells a story. If you listen to tracks 1-11 straight through, you’ll see the storyline and I think it will come across clearer that way.

TSS: Speaking of Double Barrel, would you see this is the complete opposite?

Torae: Yeah! It’s the polar opposite of Double Barrel—in content. Obviously the effort and ability are the same and I think the conceptualizations of it is the same just like Double Barrel. But I didn’t go soft; I’m still spittin’ and it’s still real rap. I’m still using my same producers like Khryris, Eric G. Vitamin D., you know the usual suspects that people no more. I didn’t stray too far from what people know me for. I just wanted to tell a different story.

TSS: When you were recording the project, did you explicitly tell them that’s where you were going with it?

Torae: Yeah, they knew! Because I needed a certain sound with a certain feel. So I let ‘em all know what it was and they were like “Oh word? That’s what we doing this year?” [Laughs] But you know, it’s Valentine’s Day and what better gift to give the world than new music?

TSS: And you have “Outta Here” which is pretty fire. We haven’t seen Mike Shorey’s name in a minute.

Torae: Yeah! I figured if I was going to jump in the Fabolous lane, I was going to go all the way with it!

Both: [Laughs!!!]

TSS: Is that going to be a single with the video treatment?

Torae: Yeah, I plan on it. I think it will have a shock value for people not expecting it but it’s not sappy, it’s not corny and I think it showcases my song-making ability on a different level like “O.K. he doesn’t just do hardcore, boom-bap records. He can do stuff with a broader appeal.”

TSS: It seems like New York has struggled as of late to balance the commercial realm with the lyricism. You think this is an example of what needs to happen more?

Torae: Yeah, I hope so. At the end of the day, I can’t compromise my integrity to make a trendy record. But I love “chick songs,” I love feel-good music. I like to party. Obviously I can’t listen to Freddie The Foxxx and M.O.P. all day. It’s just not logical. Like I brought up Fab a few minutes ago, who gets a lot of flack for making commercially geared records. But don’t get it confused: you put that boy in the booth and he’ll spit. Same with Lloyd Banks. He spits and still makes those records. Or look at Skyzoo’s success with “Speakers On Blast.” We all know Sky as a MC’s MC; he can rap all day.

But sometimes you have to make records to show people it’s bigger than showing you can spit for hours on end. It’s bigger than having the ill bar count. You have to make records. This is a record business and if you want to stay in the business, you have to make records for the record business. [Heart Failure] shows that side of Torae.

Clout and credibility seems to be something of secondary importance these days, however when earned, it can serve as an unequivocal testament to one’s caliber of an artist. Which makes the capacity of Earl Stevens Jr.’s situation that much more interesting. Known to the bulk of you as Droop-E, the 22 year old maestro just so happened to be named after a figure you’re likely even more familiar with: E-40, a reality Droop-E doesn’t shy away from yet doesn’t allow to be his own means of securing said clout and credibility. Read the rest of this entry »

The lines of fact and fiction in Hip-Hop have been blurred indefinitely with no clear exit strategy to the gateway of infallibility. Yet and still, Brooklyn emcee PUSH! Montana remains true to the values instilled in him during the period of his lengthy tenure in the streets. As of recent, he’s been hitting the music scene with intense vigor like a determined beginner, although PUSH! is technically not a rookie. Read the rest of this entry »

Leaks happen when promo copies and advance releases are sent to those irresponsible few music journalists, bloggers and chronologists who use their power for evil. Or when an industry insider lets a big ego get the best of the product he’s holding. Or when a few confidants betray their artist friend. Or when a manager becomes disgruntled. Before you know it the distant drip, drip, drip of a faulty faucet rushes deep into the cavern of the ears of the masses, like some Niagara Falls of song. And it all starts with that one evil-doer and his or her promo and power, or so they say.

They. The proverbial They, that shadowy group of finger-pointing, holier-than-thou, stone-casting folks who bear no brunt of the responsibility for why albums like Bilal Oliver’s progressive Love For Sale are shelved indefinitely.

Well this is the week of Airtight’s Revenge. And we here at TSS held our advance of Bilal’s new album with unflappable stoicism and white knuckles, because this is a project you want to own and you need to pay for. As I found out from the man himself, projects this comprehensive come along after a lot of time, consideration and artistry. And for that, you must reward the laborer to enjoy his harvest.

Bilal Oliver has been a brawny, muscled force in music’s Homeland Security Department of Quality Over Quantity. Whether you first heard his smokey tone wisp over the horn and organ cover of Radiohead’s “High And Dry,” or hook on the inside of the door to Common’s classic “6th Sense,” or float lithely betwixt the roots of a career and man that grew from the line “Sometimes I hope I live to see 25,” you know Bilal.

Because we wouldn’t leave you, our faithful friends, in complete want of cost-free entertainment, here’s our 15-minute opportunity to get to know the man a bit better, and find out how an artist gets flood insurance against a leak in the age of the Internet.

TSS: So are you happy that you lived to see 25?

Bilal: (Laughs) Yeah. Yes, I’m very happy about that.

TSS: Well, what has happened in the past 10 years that you feel you’ve grown as a person or an artist that has brought you to this point that has brought you to Airtight’s Revenge?

Bilal: I mean a lot of shit has happened. I’ve done some awesome shows, I’ve done some cool collaborations with good people, and personally I’ve had some beautiful children and I’ve got a cool little family going now.

TSS: As an artist, what is it about Airtight’s Revenge that defines who you are now? Explain to me a little about the evolution of this album; how you came to the album name and how you created the music.

Bilal: The name Airtight’s Revenge was kind of addressing the last couple of years. One of the reasons why I hadn’t put out an album in the last nine years was because the album I was doing in 2006/2005 was bootlegged. It was the album I was doing for Interscope.

TSS: The Love For Sale album.

Bilal: Yeah. And I’m really addressing the fact of it being bootlegged, me leaving Interscope, and kind of being in the wind for a minute from all of that. A lot of people would have been done, you know what I mean, and just finished by now. But me? Some really cool things happened, like I got a really cool underground following who really love my music and love to come out and see me perform. So it kind of gave me new legs and a new drive for this thing to just make music and just follow my heart and my own intuition on things. Thing will work out. And no matter what has happened to me, I’ve used that to get better. So my resilience is just my continued drive for this thing. And “Airtight” is just an old nickname.

TSS: After all that happened with [Love For Sale,] it blew me away that you were going to release this song “Free,” for free. What made the decision to actually put something out and give it away, even though a whole album of yours was basically given away?

Bilal: Well, I couldn’t clear the sample, and I really liked the song, so I just put it out that way. The sample, they weren’t going to allow me to clear it, so I just put it out.

TSS: You don’t have any animosity toward the Internet at all?

Bilal: Nah. I know I should, but… it was messed up how it happened, but if it was never bootlegged no one would even know about it, because my label didn’t really understand Love For Sale. So it kind of turned into a bittersweet kind of thing for me, really. Like at first when it was bootlegged I felt like “Aw shit, like, this is bootlegged, everybody’s going to have it.” But what it really turned into was me doing like nonstop shows and touring. It was almost like I had an album out. So, I’m not mad.

TSS: That’s pretty big of you.

Bilal: [Laughing, does impression of LC] “I want you to be mad! I want you to be really mad!”

TSS: I’m not surprised, listening to your music, that you’re not angry. I guess if I were in your place, I’d be angry.

Bilal: It’s nobody for me to be angry at, so, fuck it.

Sometimes when we listen to music, it’s easy to get taken away to a lifestyle that will never be feasible to great majority of us. Popping bottles every week deals more with Miller High Life® than Patrón. Partying with video vixens is cool when its written on paper and constructed in your mind. And driving the latest luxury cars sounds great, but most would settle for a job that pays $50,000 a year and no student loans. Read the rest of this entry »

With the publicity circus the music biz has become, every now and then, an artist still manages to shine through off the merits of their artistic credibility alone. No goofy Youtube advertisements. No scandalous or felonious headlines. Just the music. In 2010, that description has a name and its name is Gilbere Forte’. Read the rest of this entry »

From proper mixing and beating deadlines to song scripting and scouting featured artists, a lot more work than just rapping goes into producing a proper Hip-Hop album. Especially, when the album is Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot and the final, polished product has to hold off millions of rabid Outkast fans demanding new music. Luckily for us and despite label politics, Daddy Fat Sax was able to round up another right-hand man to help oversee his long-awaited solo project into our stereos. Read the rest of this entry »

Similar to the earth’s axis, the involvements in Hip-Hop come and go around in a circular motion. Just a couple of years ago, tie-dye clothing of the smedium size and simpleton raps were monopolizing the game, all but muting your usual brand of street-hop. But like history has proven on countless occasions, the streets will eventually take back what rightfully belongs to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Doing what you want usually conflicts with doing what’s expected of you. Such was especially true for Ayah, the Palestinian singer/songwriter by the way of Toronto. Armed with a sultry voice, she forwent school so she could pursue her true passion: music. It was a risky move as so many walk down the same unbeaten path only to reach a dead end. But with a mixtape, a debut album released and a collaboration LP in the works with the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, let’s just say she’s turned some heads. As Radric Davis would say, “bein’ indie ain’t easy,” but Ayah sure doesn’t give off that impression. The songstress sat down with the Crew’s S. Cadet to discuss her projects, upbringing and the pros and cons of being independent.

TSS: How did you first get into music? Moreover, what were your musical influences?

Ayah: I think that everybody starts as a fan of music and that’s definitely where I started. Just culturally, I’m Middle Eastern.  Living between the Middle East, Toronto and Seattle I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music. I’m into everything from Arabic music to Rock music to Soul, Hip-Hop and even Country. My dad grew up in England in the 70′s and 80′s so he brought home everything from Bob Marley to Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor. My mom would bring home all the Pop CDs; you know the Madonna’s, the Whitney Houston’s, the Mariah Carey’s and stuff like that.

So that’s really where it started and I’d just be home, reading the lyrics on the inside and singing along. My dad got this CD player and you could actually dub vocals. So I would mute out the vocals and I would have a mic. Me and my friends would get together and I was Scary Spice and all that stuff (Laughs). I took piano lessons and from there the whole thing kind of evolved into what it is now.

TSS: From what I remember reading, you made the decision to push forth with your music and take a leave of absence from school. How did that affect your life at that point?

Ayah: My whole life I’ve been raised that “you finish high school then you go to college. Then, you finish college and get married and have kids” and that’s basically it, right? But since I was 14 or 15, I had been looking at different university brochures and trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. By high school I knew that I could sing, I wanted to sing and people enjoyed hearing me sing. But I still went to school because I do have aspirations outside of music.

Not everybody has to make a choice between school and music. But for me, I was at school and I really wanted to focus on music. I’m really ADD and if I don’t have a task at hand then I want to do everything. Then, I was like “I’m either gonna give both of these half of myself or give one all of myself.” And at the time I was like “You know what? I don’t have any real responsibilities at the moment. I don’t plan to get any right now so let me take this time out and do this music thing and really buckle down and try and work just as hard as I would in school. And if and when whatever happens, I can go back to school.

TSS: Was that a tough decision to make?

Ayah: It was a really, really hard decision but it was made for me personally, not everybody.

TSS: First off, congratulations on 4:15. Could you tell me about the creative process behind it, what it’s about and who you worked with on it?

Ayah: It was the first real album I ever put out. I don’t know if I promoted it too hard. It’s hard as an artist to put out your first album because you never feel like it’s where you want to be. You feel like you definitely want to grow, you have all this potential and you have this vision or image of what you want this first album to sound like. Or to have your greatest album be your first album. I’m at a point at my life where if this music thing doesn’t really blow for me, I have to put this album out for myself, you know what I mean? Just to say “I packaged the album, it looks like a real album, it looks like a real CD and I put it out,” so I accomplished something for myself.

So that was my number one goal with that record: to be like “this is where I was at.” I put this together and put thought into it. I did everything myself from buying my barcode to getting my photographer to dealing with the graphics to getting the distribution deal and just everything. I was like “this is what I really wanted to do” and it was kind of an introduction to a lot of people. A lot of people heard me from Problem Woman but hadn’t heard my original stuff or where I was going. So the creative process was cool. I think it’s like I’ve been trying to do (the album) all my life because it’s like before you do your first album, every song you do before that is like a potential song for the album.

Basically the creative process was really cool. I hooked up with different artists, local artists from Toronto who are dope and from elsewhere like Jazzy Jeff. The first record we ever did was on 4:15 so that’s really cool. I shot some videos, did some promotion, and put it out.

TSS: For the videos, were you involved in conceptualizing the shots and creating them or did you just let the directors you worked with do their thing?

Ayah: A little bit of both. I don’t know if you guys know Mr. Dexter, but that’s my business partner. Me and him are really cool and we talk a lot about what we’re about to do, come up with some ideas, go back and forth and just conceptualize. And once I have an idea of what I want to do then I’ll approach a director or a director will have already approached me and say “let’s do something.” Then we’ll shoot ideas back and forth for a game plan. When we get into it, things will happen like accidental shots will look really cool and we’ll use those. The plan is always subject to change but we always go in with one. In all aspects of my business I always have a plan but the plan usually gets tweaked a lot because you never really know.

TSS: How did the production for 4:15 come about?

Ayah: For 4:15, I kind of orchestrated the whole thing. I’d reach out to different producers. I met Jeff (Jazzy Jeff) through MySpace a couple of years ago and he sent me a beat, which was the “He Don’t Want It” beat that we did for 4:15. I wrote to it a month later and sent it back. He was like “Yo, this is dope.” I said “Cool, I’m using it for my record,” and he said “Cool.” Then he said “ Hold on Ayah, keep doing what you’re doing but we’re gonna work on something soon.” So two years later we’re going to do this record. But back then it was really me soliciting beats and all the funding was from myself. There’s a team I work with that is really cool and I’m really close with a lot of people. So obviously, as an independent artist you have to bargain and try to figure out ways around getting things done because you don’t have a big ass budget. But you make it work.

TSS: Going back to the Jazzy Jeff album, what’s the status on that right now? When is it coming out, how many songs have you guys done, are there any features and basically what’s going on behind the scenes for that project?

Ayah: Well that project is awesome and I’m really excited about it. We’re almost done. I’d say we’ve been working on it since last January. That’s the first trip I took down to Philadelphia to the studio. That’s where it all began until the end of the year now and it’s pretty much almost done. It’s wrapping up so it’s just a matter of editing what we have to edit and doing a couple more songs and making sure it’s right and taking our time to put it together properly and make the plan. So that’s really the status on that now.

TSS: Do you know when we’re gonna see some songs from it pop up on TSS?

Ayah: We’ve been compiling some stuff. We’ve been filming in the studio and things like that. We’re getting ready. I can’t really say cause…I can’t really say. I don’t want to say something and then it’d be a month late. But we are doing it independently. We’re doing it ourselves and we’re going to make sure we have full control over it. So when we’ll say we’re going to drop it, we will drop it and there will be no push backs. There will be no games around the project and it is what it is. It’ll be sometime this year. I’ll say that because we’re wrapping up.

TSS: As an independent artist it seems like you’re able to link up with whoever and make it happen. But do you ever wish you had a major label push behind you to make things happen for you, at least for financial purposes?

Ayah: For financial purposes it would be great to have the bank at your disposal. But the truth of the matter is that even with a label it’s not really at your disposal. You just think it’s at your disposal. But obviously it would be really nice to have this big promotion machine behind me and everything just be a given. Like “All you have to do is get your single and everything will be great.”

But I like where I’m at because I never approached a label. I’ve never really tried shopping. I have friends on a label that we’d have meetings with but they’ve never been meetings to get me signed. I’ve never reached for that. I’m not going to rule it out and say I’m never going to get a deal. But I’d like to have a deal that’s on my terms. I’d like to not have to sacrifice everything I’ve worked for. Every decision that I’ve made thus far has worked out for me. For whatever reason, maybe I just over thought the situation a thousand-billion-trillion times. I’m really careful and I just feel like every step that I’ve taken has worked out in my benefit, so I like where I’m at.

TSS: At the end of the “In My Lifetime” video, the viewer can see a plug for the Remix Project. What’s that organization all about?

Ayah: I know all around the world there are youth initiatives where people in the community or youths in the community, even the elder youths (twenty-somethings) that reach out and put together art programs, community centers and things like that. The Remix Project started that way and has evolved into something that is so amazing. Basically it’s a group of people who are in their twenties, been through their own life struggles and have put together a lot of government support, sponsorships and corporate stuff so they can have a huge facility that can take 30 kids every semester: 10 in the music sector, 10 in business and 10 in the creative arts sector. And, basically, they give them all the resources they can ever have or need to accomplish whatever goal they can dream of. So if I want to start a cleaning company, I can do it. If I want to be a singer the studio is there.

Everybody that works there is heavily in the industry and really successful at what they do. I was a youth worker there at one point and in the music sector. It’s amazing because they give them mentors and they have all the resources. They have a business center (and) everything you could ever want. If you walk in there with a dream they’ll help you plan it and show you how to get there along the way. So it’s a really dope place in Toronto.

TSS: Are there any downsides to being a professional singer? If so, what are they?

Ayah: Of course there are. You sacrifice a lot of shit. Your life is basically on hold until you “make it” or make some money. Not even make money but until you’re in a position to do it until you’re comfortable in your life. I’m not even gonna lie. It’s a great thing to do but it’s really hard especially if you’re serious about it and that’s really what you want to do. Your life is on hold (Laughs). I feel like I’m in pending. Like you send a message and I feel like I haven’t been read yet.

It’s cool, you make things happen but money gets in the way when you don’t have enough money or networking, where you don’t that person to get this to happen or to expose you. A lot of people out there are looking for cosigns cause that’s all they need. It’s really hard and you want to quit a lot but you have to keep on going because you can’t help it. And then it’ll happen (Laughs).

TSS: Do you have any other projects lined up other than the Jazzy Jeff collaboration?

Ayah: I got a side group secret project that’s not really a secret but the music is a secret. I’m doing something with Slakah the Beatchild that’s really, really dope. It’s like this sick ass fusion something…I don’t know how to really explain it but it’s not what I normally do and it’s not what he normally does. I don’t think it’s what anybody normally does. But it’s really cool and we’re ready to put that out. We’ve been working on that for awhile. It’s called “Sandy Black”– that’s the group. And I’m just working on some other separate music so I got a few more albums after the Jeff one.

TSS: So with that, are you getting into other genres outside of R&B and Soul or are you still going to stick to them?

Ayah: I’m always gonna be soulful and meaningful in the way that I sing and the lyrics that I write. But shit, sometimes I want to write a Rock song and sometimes on like 4:15 a little bonus skit or a Country thing. The music is music for me. Whatever music I might hear may inspire me to write something and if that’s in a different genre then cool.

TSS: Anything else you want to say before I wrap this up?

Ayah: Check out DJ Hero, Jazzy Jeff on the Michael Jackson tape (He’s the King I’m the DJ), Tona’s Direct Deposit, Richie Hennessy’s Bubbles In the Tub & check out 4:15 at ayahmusic.com. There ya go, that’s the family.

Wordplay, complex deliveries and unpredictable rhyme patterns. All qualities least likely to be heard in today’s rap music but Termanology, the Boston bred cipher titleholder, keeps it true to original form with his stylistic branding of verbal skills. Ready to take fans back to the glory days while keeping one foot in the present door with his latest LP, Time Machine: Hood Politics VI, Read the rest of this entry »

With jerk fever gripping the nation with fluorescent, polka-dotted fists, it’s safe to the say that the New Boyz have successfully carved a niche that has earned them recognition as well as enough dollar signs to set the standards on weekly allowance. But is it gimmick or geniality that’s got them to this far? Read the rest of this entry »

With his towering frame, unconditional loyalty and voice of a thousand Newports™, Barksdale enforcer Slim Charles became a fan favorite on The Wire. Anwan “Big G” Glover, the Washington D.C. native who so capably portrayed the street soldier, is proud of his breakout role. But like Slim inheriting Marlo Stanfield’s coveted drug connect, Glover is ready to expand the franchise. Glover has long been involved in the music business as a member of the D.C. Go-Go group Backyard Band. Now that he’s making solo moves with Sony/BMG music producer and fellow-D.C. native Chink Santana, Glover landed a spot on a song called “Girlfriend” with Jim Jones and Juelz Santana. He’s also appeared in numerous music videos like many alumni of The Wire. In addition, Glover hosts a show every Saturday on D.C.’s #1 Hip-Hop/R&B radio station, WKYS 93.9.

Acting, however, remains one of Anwan Glover’s strongest passions. He’s starring alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in a feature film called Shoe Dog, slated to hit the silver screen this fall. Although the gangster role is one Glover embraces and seems to be built for, the actor is vying for new types of casting. Aside from his entertainment endeavors, Glover also works with the non-profit organization Peaceoholics to provide D.C. youth with constructive alternatives to drugs and crime. After his own brother was gunned down in the streets of Columbia Heights in 2007, Glover addressed the press along with D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, stating, “We’re tired of seeing the yellow (police) tape” and called for an end to revenge shootings.

Anwan Glover sat down and chopped it up with The Crew’s Khalid Strickland, who couldn’t stop calling the actor Slim Charles. Glover laughed it off discussed his new projects, his humanitarian work and how he felt about The Wire never winning an Emmy award, among other things.

TSS: Talk about Shoe Dog, the new film you’re in.

Anwan Glover: Shoe Dog, we’re going to shoot that. We were supposed to be shooting it in July but they pushed it back to August. It’s going to be in Toronto with Michael Delfay, Dominic West (who played McNulty on The Wire) and myself, Anwon Glover. I’m playing a character (named) Jackson. It’s gonna be a good film. It’s not like my character that I played on The Wire but it’s a gangster role, na’mean? A gangster with a smile and I’m real manipulative, I just bait people into doing what I need them to do just for my purposes, na’mean? It’s gonna be a good piece for me just coming out from getting off of The Wire and moving on. Just being a young African-American actor out here in the struggle. Just trying to put my face out here for these different roles because they you’re so much getting typecast a lot. Coming off the best television show, The Wire, I get typecast a lot. I go read for a lot of those different gangster roles but I’m really trying to break out of that. You do what you got to do to get the bills paid.

TSS: Speaking of which, what’s good with the music? You’ve got something poppin’ off with Juelz Santana, Jim Jones and Chink Santana.

Anwan Glover: Yeah, it’s called “Girlfriend.” We just left satellite radio with Angela Yee. I was on her show before, on Lip Service. She got the morning show, it’s hot; we just played it on there. I got a lil’ sixteen on there, I’m killin’ it. It’s called “Girlfriend” and it’s gonna be on Jim Jones’s album. I’m trying to work out a deal and get signed with Sony, so we got stuff on the table. I’m doing magazine ads, just tryin’ to jump out there. I also got a good look on this piece (a new series) for HBO. It’s supposed to be like five or six episodes they’re writing me in for, so you can look out for Anwan on that should be like sometime in the fall. So I’m just hustlin’ right now, man. Read the rest of this entry »

Lil’ Boosie has been goin’ through some thangs.

The product of Baton Rouge’s streets has never been shy about telling his story. While most casual listeners know Bad Azz for his party singles like “Wipe Me Down” and “Zoom,” his followers know him as the ambassador to the Gulf Coast streets. Though Boosie has been able to leave his neighborhood for greener pastures, his personal life is as tumultuous as ever.

He’s currently under house arrest and facing a trial date set for September 28th while braving a tough promotional schedule and ever-volatile health. Still, Boosie took some time to talk with David D. about his album, Super Bad, his relationship with Webbie, his patented haircut and…interesting details about women.

This is definitely an interview you have to read & see to believe.

TSS: How’s it going man?

Lil’ Boosie: I’m alright, just chillin’ in New York taking care of this album.

TSS: Cool, I just want to start by letting you know I’m from Jackson, MS so–

Lil’ Boosie: So you know my struggle…

TSS: Yea, so let’s get into this album. Why is it called Super Bad?

Lil’ Boosie: Everything is a little better: my rhymes, my production. I got more features than I had last time. I reached out to the ladies more than on the last album. I’m getting more money, I’m more focused. If you’re with Boosie Bad Azz you know what it is. Read the rest of this entry »